The synthesis and characterization of novel photochromic diarylethene-based linkers for use in metal–organic frameworks is described including crystal structure analysis of nearly all reaction intermediates. The bis-carboxylated dithien-3-ylphenanthrenes can be prepared under relatively mild conditions in high yield and were subsequently used to create a photoresponsive metal–organic framework, UBMOF-1. While the photochromism of the ligand TPDC in solution is fully reversible, the cycloreversion reaction is suppressed when this linker is incorporated into the crystalline framework of UBMOF-1.